After all, COVID would possibly have leaked from a Chinese lab. So much for “misinformation”.

Almost 3 years ago, a reporter asked then-President Donald Trump if he had noticed that he had given him a “high degree of confidence” that COVID-19 had come out of a lab in China.

“Yes, I have. Yes, I have,” Trump said. And I think the World Health Organization will be ashamed of itself because it’s like China’s PR firm. “

Trump-style, he then took that sentiment and made it more incendiary through the “Wuhan virus” or the “Chinese virus” when talking about COVID-19. The left was quick to call those words racist, but it also ignored why the president used those words.

In early 2020, Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas said the following: “We have no evidence that this disease originated there (the Wuhan lab), however, due to China’s duplicity and dishonesty from the beginning, we at least have to see what happens. “says the evidence, and China has not lately provided any evidence on this issue.

As they did with Trump, many media outlets charged Cotton’s comments as supporting a “fringe” theory and promulgating a “discredited” conspiracy.

Could a twist of fate have caused COVID-19?: Why the theory of escape in the Wuhan laboratory is not rejected

‘Vividly’: Dr. Fauci describes a secret 2020 meeting to communicate about the origins of COVID

In 2021, a New York Times reporter — who is not an opinion like me — covering the pandemic and global fitness wrote on Twitter that we may “one day” avoid talking about the “lab leak theory” and its “racist roots. “. ” He later deleted the tweet after the backlash that followed.

It turns out that there is explanation for why to be skeptical about the roots of the virus.

A Wall Street Journal report over the weekend revealed how the U. S. Department of Energy has been in the process of the U. S. Department of Energy. UU. se joined the FBI in saying COVID-19 most likely spread from a Chinese lab. The Department of Energy carries the weight because it oversees U. S. labs. New data discovered.

Similarly, on Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray gave Fox News the bureau’s first public confirmation that the virus “probably” came from a lab.

Other intelligence agencies still have the virus’s effects of herbal transmission or are indecisive.

The White House is releasing the latest news because there is no “consensus” within the federal government on the origins of COVID.

It is to admit that, however, the public deserves to know that this is still an ongoing discussion.

No ‘consensus’ on the origin of COVID: US agenciesUU. se have agreed on the origins of the COVID-19 virus after a questionable report

The real risk is still there: we will never know the full fact about the origins of COVID-19. Political disputes will be of no use.

The same goes for efforts to combat the virus. These measures also deserved a forged and open debate, but that is what happened. From the government to the media and Twitter before Elon Musk, concerted efforts have been made to suppress so-called disinformation.

Until recently, anyone, including scientists and doctors, who asked about the effectiveness of masks, lockdowns or school closures classified either a science denier or a crackpot right-winger.

Those who supported government mandates and asked questions were perceived as enlightened.

Now, there is evidence that masks don’t work, that closures were ineffective, and that school closures have caused educational and emotional harm to children.

Will COVID Closures Continue?: Is Dr. Fauci Open to More School Closures?Tell me it’s a joke.

Masks have been one of the most important touchstones in the COVID-19 debate, and for years we’ve been told they’re an integral component of “controlling the spread. “

Maybe not.

A comprehensive review of studies from the reputable Cochrane Library reported in January that wearing a mask, regardless of type, makes “little or no difference” in the transmission of diseases like COVID-19.

It turns out that the other people, the moms, who raised considerations weren’t so crazy after all.

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Unfortunately, the damage is done for those who dared to pass opposite to the “right” narrative.

Look at what happened to Jennifer Sey, the former global president of Levi’s. She was forced to resign from her position last year for speaking out against the harm distance learning and forced masking were causing children. After giving the impression on Fox News of communicating their concerns, his colleagues come up with it as a step forward.

We are paranoid. We were on the blacklist. We were censored. We were fired and removed from our jobs. We have been called terrorists and murderers. Things are now accepted as true. . . https://t. co/gbJA5Bbjx7 pic. twitter. com/BbqA8aJVWm

In light of recent news about the potential COVID-19 lab leak and mask ineffectiveness, Sey continues to grow. As he tweeted this week:

“We are paranoid. We were on the blacklist. We were censored. We were fired and removed from our jobs. They called us terrorists and murderers. We have lost friends and colleagues. We were interrogated. We have been vilified as “conspiracy theorists. “”For saying things that are now accepted as true. Our friends and colleagues conspired against us. “

The irony is that the steps taken by the Biden management and the media to “protect” other people from disinformation will backfire through the further erasure that is accepted as true in those institutions.

There are still many unanswered questions about COVID-19, but it’s much bigger to admit that than to force a narrative that then turns out to be false.

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist for USA TODAY. Contact her on ijacques@usatoday. com or Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques

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